Bhubaneswar Life imprisonment to the accused in minor murder case
Bhubaneswar: The State Crime Branch said that a special court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for burning a 15-year-old girl to death in Kalahandi district in 2017.
The Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Special Court on Tuesday convicted Tumeshwar Das under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code in connection with the case. The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh, with an additional penalty for non-payment. The Crime Branch took over the investigation after the state government transferred the case from the Narla police.
The incident dates back to January 11, 2017, when Das and a juvenile allegedly passed obscene comments to a minor girl.
Later that evening, the two allegedly entered her house in her parents’ absence, gagged her, poured kerosene on her, and set her on fire. The girl suffered 95% burns and later died during treatment.
Following a complaint from the victim’s father, the Narla police registered a case under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The Crime Branch took over the investigation on January 14, 2017, and subsequently filed a charge sheet against six accused, including Das and Kishore.
The Crime Branch said the conviction followed a detailed investigation and successful presentation of evidence before the court, which, while delivering its verdict, described the crime as falling in the “rarest of rare” category.
